


For It is Never Forgotten

by KoalaCheckmark



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action/Adventure, Breath of the Wild Sequel Trailer, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, F/M, Gen, Mystery, Post-Breath of the Wild, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:41:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29441325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoalaCheckmark/pseuds/KoalaCheckmark
Summary: Link and Zelda are guided by the sword and fleeting moments of familiarity to the Forgotten Temple, where they hope to find answers on the nature of their destinies. A story written to bridge the ending of BOTW to the trailer for its sequel. This is my first published work. Any feedback is highly appreciated and will be used for future chapters/edits.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

The sinking of the sun over the horizon made Link pause for a moment. As he looked past the faded timber of the support beams towards the sweeping green fields, he suddenly felt something reach out and grip his heart.

He rose from the ground, letting the bundle of wood fall from his arms. As the cord split open and the logs splayed outwards, he grabbed the sword from his back and started running towards the nearby hill.

Link felt the ashes of the burning castle falling on his face, coating his cheeks and choking his lungs.

He heard the pounding of horses galloping behind him, ducking on instinct as he continued his mad sprint to the top of the hill.

He heard laughing and the cracking of stone when he neared the crest. Rage boiled and terror iced his veins, creating a cacophony of feelings he had never experienced. He reached the peak.

The castle was not burning.

Link gazed down and his eyes were drawn to his shadow.

"Am I so beautiful you've no words left?"

He spun around so fast that he nearly fell off the hill.

Standing slightly below him, green eyes full of concern and terror, was Zelda.

He heard a howl as he collapsed.

* * *

Link awoke to frantic mumbling. Something about restless crickets and moblin horns.

He keeps his eyes closed as he reaches out with his ears.

He could hear the slight squeak of her trousers when she moved around the cookpot. Her voice tinkling in his ears, like ice inside a glass or the smalls bells hung around a jester's neck.

Link listened further out.

The chirp of aforementioned crickets. The rustling of sleeping birds in the nearby grove of trees. The slight gurgle of the river just east of them.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

No giggling, no barking.

He sits up suddenly.

"Link!"

He looks over at her.

Blonde instead of orange.

Green instead of gold.

"Lie back down immediately! You may have head trauma! You need medicine!"

He obeys her, and lets his head fall back onto the rolled saddle blanket.

Zelda scoots over to him, cradling two bottles to her chest. She pulls the cork on one and sets the other down near her thigh. He reaches out to take it, but she pushes his arm down and frowns.

"Stop moving. I need to examine you more thoroughly."

Her voice trembles slightly, and the lilt normally present in her royal accent is fighting back worry.

Zelda raises the bottle to his lips. He feels a slight warmth in his chest and a bite in his throat. He grimaces.

"Don't make that face. It's very unbecoming."

She reaches down and grabs the other bottle. The light of a fairy shimmers against the walls of the bottle. She uncorks it over his chest and grabs the Sheikah slate hanging at her hip. Link feels the fairy swirling around his face, pulling at his bangs and brushing his lips with its wings. Zelda taps a few times on the screen of the slate and a light flickers on, shining so bright he winces.

Link wishes he had known about that before carrying so many torches with him.

She leans over him, and now instead of fairy wings it was her hair brushing his lips.

Zelda rests her fingers on his eyelids and whispers not to blink. She holds the light up to his eye until it begins to water. He starts fidgeting but she ignores him. She does it again to the other eye. He reaches up to grab her arm but with the light in his eye he misjudges his placement and grabs her face instead.

She blushes slightly then swats his arm away again.

"No abnormalities, pupils dilating correctly, no blood..." she returns to a seated position to his left.

"Maybe heat exhaustion? No, we would have seen signs earlier. Not dehydration, patient is sweating normally. Maybe illness?"

Zelda absently puts her hand on his forehead.

"No fever. Maybe something chronic? No, that's stupid."

He stares at the creased lines on her forehead. He counts the number of times she blinks. He watches her chest rise and fall faster and faster, before finally she halts her voice, and her eyes turn to the sword that leaned against his pack.

"It's not physical. It's mental."

She looks back towards him and worry turns to sadness and grief.

"You remembered something again, didn't you?"

He looks at her and thinks for a moment. He knows that telling her it's not her fault isn't going to work, just like the last time he tried to tell her. And he knows that what happened tonight wasn't the same as when he remembers his past.

He shakes his head.

When Link remembers his life from before, he sees his memories unfold as if he was there. He watches the scene play out, taking in the sights and sounds of his old life. His emotions, his thoughts, his feelings, all flood back as if a dam had broke, and then he returns to reality. This wasn't that.

Zelda looks slightly confused.

"But... why? Why did you look as though you were about to charge into the castle again? Did you see something? Was there a threat?"

He shakes his head again.

"Did something startle you? Did you need to get something from the ruins?"

He shakes his head a third time and Zelda's face changes from confusion to irritation.

"You CAN speak, you know. We aren't back in court. I'm not going to judge your wordplay, especially considering the circumstances."

He smiles slightly and raises his eyebrow.

"Please, not now. I'm seriously concerned for you," Zelda says as her face pouts, tilting towards the sky.

He stops smiling.

"It wasn't my memory."

She looks back at him, worry slipping back over her features.

"What do you mean?"

Link looks back towards the hills. He doesn't really know how to explain it to her. Joking aside, he never was good with words. His actions spoke more for him than anything that came out of his mouth. He tries to think of a way to show, rather than tell. But he can't, and a ting of frustration worms it's way into his mind. He gazes back at Zelda, the blue of her tunic contrasting with the grass, the dirt, and sky, and then he has an idea.

"Do you remember what you asked me when we were going to check on Vah Rudania?"

Zelda thinks for a moment before perking up slightly.

"From before?"

Link nods.

She thinks for a moment then glances at the sword again.

"I asked if it spoke to you. The legends speak of a spirit residing in the blade. That it guides all of the heroes who wield it."

He nods again, but hesitates, frowning slightly as he tries to thread his words together hoping she can get them to click in place.

"I- well, I haven't heard it speak. But I do feel its presence. It's almost like-at least it feels like-"

"Like you know it personally. As if you have known each other for eons."

He looks up at Zelda's face, and her eyes are blank. She's staring at the ground, motionless.

"I know that feeling all too well."

Link tries to lean over and comfort her. Suddenly her head jerks up and looks at him. Her eyes are jerking back and forth, as if she is reading from a scroll extremely fast. Desperately looking for an answer to the question on their minds.

"They aren't your memories. You know they aren't your memories, at least from what you said before. You brought up the sword, the feeling of recognition even though you had only possessed it for a few months..."

Link tries again to reach out to her, but she stands up and begins pacing. One hand running through her long golden hair, the other waving around frantically, as if sorting through an imaginary index.

"I know this feeling, it's what happens when I use my powers." Her face darkens for a split second. "I felt it when I faced Ganon..."

Link tries to stand but she reaches down and points at the saddle blanket. He drops back down.

"Is this what you felt on the hill?!"

He nods.

"I heard things."

She whips around.

"What did you hear?"

"I heard horses, a fire burning in the distance. Laughter, screaming, a woman's voice."

"Anything else? Did you feel anything physical? See anything?"

"No. But I felt emotions. Anger, fear, hatred, the desire to run towards something I needed to protect. To save."

Zelda looks away towards the hill.

"Are you sure it wasn't me you were trying to protect?"

His face flushes. Thankfully her back is turned and the only light is from the fire underneath the cookpot.

"I never felt rage when I went to protect you. Only... I guess..."

She peaks over her shoulder, and Link notices her blushing as well.

"Well, I knew what I had to do. Even if I didn't remember everything about you. I knew I needed to save you."

She turns back around and sighs.

"You missed your chance again, hero."

He clams up. Damn it. This is why he doesn't speak.

Zelda runs her hand through her hair. She seems to be doing that more and more these days, Link thought.

"What triggered this feeling though? Why did you suddenly run up a hill and almost slice my head off?"

He closes his eyes as Zelda racks her brain.

"Think. What were you doing? Where were you? Did you see anything? Hear anything distinctive?

Link scrunches his brow. He and Zelda were talking about what her favorite food was before the Calamity. She brought up how a ranch nearby the castle used to raise horses and cows, and how the milk from the cows made an amazing cream cheese frosting. They arrived at the site a few hours later. He figured they might as well camp there for the night since it was getting late.

He grabbed wood from a torn-down barn, and she mentioned it's where the ranch would keep goats.

He tried to hurry and grab as much as he could since the sky was getting darker.

As he was tying the logs together, he glanced westward. The sun was grasping at the rim of the Tabantha region.

For some reason he stopped and thought it was beautiful.

Melancholic.

Familiar.

"Twilight."

And then the sword flashed.


	2. Chapter 2

Link hated the Forgotten Temple.

The last time he was here, he was forced to climb all the way up to the top of the building, drop down from a hole, and then almost die from the many guardians that lurked on the walls, floors, and ceiling. After killing them all, he pressed forward and again was almost killed by another horde of the Sheikah robots. Cursing his bad luck and the ping coming from the slate, he moved to the final chamber. And proceeded to get grazed by a guardian laser. He had to use the last of his ancient arrows, and the last of the healing elixir. He trudged his broken body to the shrine, entered the elevator, only for the monk to give him his final blessing. It was apparently the last shrine, which made his mood slightly improve, only to have it sink again after finding out the reward for his hard work.

It was a set of clothes.

Green clothes.

Green clothes with shorts that made him look like a child and a hat that made him look like a clown.

Needless to say, when the sword had flashed and he heard a faint echo telling him to go to the temple, Link was not in the highest spirits.

Zelda on the other hand was ecstatic.

After spending the night at the ranch, the pair quickly returned to the nearby stable, where Zelda purchased an ox, a saddle, and supplies for an expedition. As they travelled across Hyrule field, she spoke of how the royal family used to visit the temple often, how it once housed knowledge of sacred importance. It was also where they honored past heroes and descendants of the goddess, however over time the royal family became less and less concerned with myths and legends. They stopped their upkeep of the temple, and by Zelda's generation it had long since fallen to ruin.

Now that the pair was standing in front of the blocked entrance, Zelda was about to burst from the seams.

"I never got to visit here before! During the excavation of the Divine Beasts, none of the Sheikah texts mentioned the temple, therefore my father deemed it too little of a priority. I knew something important must lie here, but I too was so busy with the guardians and my powers that I failed to recognize its significance!

Zelda excitedly points towards the reliefs on one side of the entryway.

"See this? Many legends speak of an extinct species of avian that once dominated the skies over Hyrule, and that ancient Hylians worshipped them almost like deities! Look, markings of the Zonai! Why are Zonai markings here, so far from Faron woods? And here..."

She looks up at Link, and notices his frown as he gazes upwards towards a hole near the top of the ruin.

"What is it Link?"

He explains what happened to him at the temple, and Zelda stifled a giggle. Link's frown deepens. She begins to laugh.

"You must show me that outfit! It must look so dashing, with you being such a seasoned adventurer!"

"No."

"But Link! The monks of old watched and protected those threads for thousands of years! Their dedication must not go unrewarded!"

"No."

"Do you think the Sheikah have always had a fascination with making men more effeminate? Even today their outfits always seem to be so form fitting, and their hair styling... That must be why they made the shorts!"

Link shoots her a desperate look.

"I think the shorts would look fantastic on you! With your boyish charm, and your level of physical fitness, I bet they really show off your... oh."

Zelda quickly turns away and covers her face.

"I didn't mean to say that. I don't know why I said that."

Link raises his eyebrow, and she begins to run her hand through her hair and continue to try and save herself from her embarrassment. He decides to change the subject and grant her mercy. Just this once.

"I've noticed you running your hand through your hair these past few weeks more and more."

She breathes a sigh of relief before moving her hair over her shoulder. She begins to comb through it.

"I've been thinking about cutting it short. It gets in the way when I'm working. Before, it wouldn't have been socially acceptable for a noblewoman to have a commoner's haircut. Now I have no obligations. But I haven't yet met any stylists or barbers since I woke up!"

Link smirks, imagining that a qualified hair specialist would be a rare find indeed. He touched his own hair. It was getting quite long, and his usual ponytail was beginning to touch below his shoulder blades. It would sometimes get caught in the gap between the cross guard and scabbard of the Master Sword. Maybe he needed a haircut too.

He has an idea.

"Would you like to cut my hair?"

Zelda looks at him with a strange combination of nervousness and delight, which sent a shiver down his arms and legs.

"Would you let me? I can experiment and see what hairstyle I would enjoy. Make notes, take photographs, then I can show someone what I want!"

He realizes now who he's asking, and he suddenly regrets his split second decision. Oh well. Seeing her with that look on her face, how could he turn back now? It was just hair.

"Let's get this entrance cleared first. We can spend the rest of the day in the first chamber, then you can cut it after dinner."

Zelda determined a controlled explosion with a bomb would be the quickest way to clear the mounds of dirt and rubble. She took out a small spade and dug a hole into the soil, shaped it into a concave circle, then placed a round bomb generated from the slate. She then covered the walls of the hole with hard pieces of stone, and with Link's help placed a large slab of stone over the hole. They stepped back, and Zelda detonated the bomb. Link was impressed. Normally the bombs ejected anything in range in all directions. Great for dispatching large groups of enemies, not so great for anything requiring a modicum of precision. Once the dust cleared however, a large portion of the mound was blown out into the temple, leaving the walls and entrance relatively unscathed. They repeated the process once more, which cleared most of the rubble, allowing both them and the ox to enter the large front chamber of the temple.

They spent the rest of the day in the first chamber. Link set up camp, taking most of the required supplies off the ox and letting it graze from a small patch of grass near the entrance. While he preferred having horses on trips, the brute strength and stability of the ox came in handy, especially in terms of comfort. He noted this as he pulled a cookpot from off the large saddle on the ox's back.

Zelda was humming quietly as she roamed the gigantic hall. Slate in one hand and her field journal in the other, she would switch from taking photos to jotting notes down. She spent the afternoon observing the reliefs and the architecture, noting distinct design differences in many areas. Some areas looked extremely ancient, resembling the springs of the goddess she had spent so much of her youth praying in. Others looked more recent. Still old, but definitely resembling more modern design notes. Some areas were completely foreign to her, almost as if they were from a different world entirely. She noted the small structures that were built in the middle of the chamber, resembling rooms and floor plans, deducing that these were where most documents and relics were most likely kept. Nothing was left, which was to be expected after hundreds of years, but still it made her frustrated. Why would her ancestors abandon this place? If this place was housing knowledge of her predecessors, wouldn't that have been important to protect?

Link finished their camp preparations and walked over to join Zelda. He listens to her humming, noting something was oddly familiar about the simple tune. Pushing it away for now, he looks over her shoulder to the wall she was observing. He listens to her explain its connection to current design features in the castle, and lets his mind wander.

He enjoyed being here with Zelda. This was how he remembered her the most, knee deep in dirt and dust, poking at ruins and going on long tangents about ancient relics and their significance. He notices the shine in her eyes and her energetic movements and smiles. This is who she is, someone who thrives on knowledge and discovery, someone who tries to learn from the past to help the present. Someone who enjoys the details, and who yearns to understand the meaning of the forces that drive their world. He didn't need to remember everything about their past lives to know this, and whether or not he would fully recover his memories didn't matter to him.

This was who he swore to protect with his life, and he would do again in a heartbeat.

* * *

When the sun began to set, and the walls of the temple began to dim, the two returned to camp near the entrance. Zelda laid down on her stomach and reviewed the picture she took. She continued to write down notes in her journal as Link began to prepare dinner. Once he had finished, he reached out a hand to her and helped her sit upright. They ate their meal of steak and mushrooms in comfortable silence, Zelda's mind still on the last image she had taken. It was a small etching of a wolf, with what appeared to be a creature riding on it's back. It wasn't part of any major relief, tucked away in the corner of a larger piece showing a castle surrounded by a large diamond. It almost looked as if the image was added in secret after the fact, and it intrigued her.

Link rose and walked away from the fire for a moment, returning with a small folding camping stool and a pair sheers he used while collecting herbs. The thought of the wolf left her mind as she now had more pressing matters to attend to.

Link handed her the sheers with no emotion on his face. He turned around and sat in the chair. Zelda giggled.

"Go on then hero, take off your tunic. You don't want loose hair to get trapped now do you?"

He rips his champion's tunic off in one swift motion, almost as if he was under duress. He returns to his neutral expression.

Zelda gasps slightly at his rushed disrobing but quickly catches herself and begins to undo his hair tie.

"I'm going to first start with my normal braids and move from there. I'm thinking of cutting to shoulder length first. What do you think?"

He looks at her, maintaining his neutral expression. She could tell this idea didn't necessarily appeal to him, but she knew he wouldn't oppose her. Zelda smiled devilishly.

"I could also just shave you, and then make a wig from the trimmings. I'd probably get a better response."

"We can start with the braids first."

"Mmm."

As she began braiding Link's hair, she noticed the many scars crossing his torso and arms. Claw marks, puncture wounds, burns, lacerations dotted his fair skin. She lets her fingers brush one on his shoulder as she wove the braids, feeling the raised flesh underneath her fingertips. Sadness washes over her. This young man, so kind and innocent at heart, had gone through so much, all in the name of a kingdom that no longer stood. All for a princess who had failed her people. Yes she had succeeded in defeating the Calamity, but most who looked to her for salvation were no longer alive to see it. And the few that remained had become damaged like Link. Some had physical scarring, others had mental. Always knowing that she had failed them in their greatest time of need.

Zelda didn't notice the tear slide from her face until she she saw it splash onto his neck. Link turns and looks at her, noticing her looking at his shoulder. He reached back and felt the scar from a Lynel arrow and sighed.

"This wasn't you. It was a half horse, half lion who somehow hit a moving aerial target from 200 meters away."

He smiles at her and she tears up more.

"Do you think Lynels have an inherent ability with archery or was taught it to them? Do you think they have a Lynel training school? Maybe Lynel Knights? That would be pretty scary. Imagine a lord commander Lynel, whipping cadets with a switch. Ouch!" Link says to her, and she laughs through a sob.

"Why do you ALWAYS insist on joking when I'm on the verge of breaking down?"

"Because I tried to reason away your doubts before, and it never works. You're too smart and you over-analyze any arguments I make. Getting you to smile always seems to help."

He continues to grin at her. She brushes away her tears and sniffs. This man, Goddess damn him. He looks so goofy, with half his head in braids, his head tilted sideways. His shirt off, with his toned chest and stomach. His strong arms, his callused hands. She stops her eyes from lowering further.

Focus on the hair, you need to focus on the hair. The thick golden hair, so close to your own but with shades of brown near the roots. So soft, smelling of hay and sweat...

Stop!

She pouts at him and turns him back around with a tisk. She finishes the braids and ties them in the back. But before she begins to cut, she leans to his ear and mumbles quietly.

"Thank you."

He blushes, and stops smiling when he hears the first snip.

* * *

Zelda stops and takes photos each time she finishes cutting. She can't decide what she wants to do. So many options, and with her hair as long as it was it was hard to decide. She likes the way she had cut it now, bobbed at the shoulders but still maintaining the regal braids she always wore. She snapped a photo and showed Link.

"Well, how about this? I think it's both dignified but still practical. I just don't know yet..."

Link looks at himself with the feminine haircut and tries to not grimace. He thinks no matter what she does, she will always be beautiful. He on the other hand doesn't want people to mistake him for Zelda's sister.

"I think you should do this one."

She looks at him and frowns.

"You said that for the last one also. Can you at least give more feedback please?"

He shrugs.

"No matter what you decide you will always look perfect."

She flushes a deep red, and whether it's due to anger or something else he couldn't say.

"Stop trying to rush me! You were the one who consented to this!"

He shrugs again. She lets out a breath of frustration.

"There's one more I want to try. Something more masculine. I probably won't go with it but I figured I might try it out, just for future reference."

She undid the braid and began to cut large swathes of hair seemingly at random. She started to hum the tune from before, and this time without thinking he asked her about it. She smiled solemnly, stopping her cutting momentarily before returning to her task.

"It was a lullaby my mother would hum to me. She told me her mother had sung it to her, and said I would sing it to my children as well."

Zelda returned to humming, this time a little louder.

Link looked down to his hands. He absently moved his fingers in time with the notes. Why was he doing that? He didn't play any instruments, but for some reason he knew the pitches and tones that were filling his ears.

She combed her fingers through his hair a few times, distracting him. She took out the slate and snapped a few photos before handing it to him to see. She stepped back to view her handiwork.

Links hair was shorter than she had ever seen it before. It stuck out at random, almost as if he had just rolled out of bed. The blonde was still there, but now that it was closer to the roots streaks of brown lined the tufts. It made him look older, more masculine, and brought out the piercing blue of his eyes. He looked wild, almost feral. She liked it.

Why did it seem familiar though?

He put down the slate and rose from the seat. Link started to walk to her, and her breath halted a moment in her chest.

He got within a foot of her, and she closed her eyes.

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes slowly to see him holding out the slate, and she took it quickly and walked back to the fire, Link closely behind her. He whispered in her ear as she approached the seat.

"I like this one."

She shivered and sat down, trying to compose herself.

"I think it may be a bit too short for me. I think I'll have to go with the second to last."

He laughed and began to walk towards his bedroll.

"Wait!"

Link turned around and looked at her curiously. Thankfully this time he looked more like his old self, his head slightly tilted and eyes more relaxed. She sighs and holds out the sheers.

"Would you please do mine as well? I'm really not in the mood to go exploring tomorrow with all this hair in the way, and I believe you are adequate enough with a blade to help me perform this task."

He suddenly becomes nervous and refrains from grabbing the sheers.

She rolls her eyes.

"It's just a simple bob. All you need to do is cut a straight line across at my shoulder. Think of it like a decapitation!"

He winces and Zelda laughs at his reaction. He takes the sheers from her hand and walks behind her. He hesitates and she softens a bit.

"It's okay Link, I trust you."

He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and gathers her hair in his hand. He puts the sheers up to the mass of hair and closes his eyes.

Click, Snip!

He hears the voice of Purah echo in his mind as he closes the sheers. Damn it. If he messed this up she would surely do something to him next time they met, something involving lifting large objects and embarrassment.

He hears her rise and move around.

"Link?"

He opens his eyes.

Link had been to the top of the highest peaks in Hyrule. He had seen the eternal autumn of Akkala under the afternoon sky, the serene glow of Zora's Domain during a full moon, the fiery might of Death Mountain during an earthquake. He had felt the warmth of Gerudo desert slide off his face as the sun set, the flakes of a first snowfall one quiet morning in Rito Village, the dizzying dance at a harvest festival in Hateno. He had heard the soft playing of a shamisen by Paya in Kakariko, the sea shanties sung by fishermen in Lurelin, ballads written of the past that made his eyes sting by Kass and his mentor. He had seen the sun rise and set on almost every part of this wonderful land.

And yet nothing compared to her.

Standing in the soft glow of the fire, shifting nervously with her hands behind her back, Zelda looked at him with a slight smile.

"Well, what do you think?"

His fondness for silence didn't help him this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have cross-posted this work to fanfiction dot net. I am currently working on chapter 3 and 4, and may have them posted later today or next week. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see moving forward, I would love to hear from you! - Koala


	3. Chapter 3

When the pair woke up the next morning, Zelda decided she wanted to move on to the next chamber. Link told her that they should relocate the camp further in as well, so that they could rest closer to her work. Because Link had only one paraglider between the two of them, and it definitely wouldn't lift the ox, they moved towards another blocked entryway and repeated the controlled detonation. Luckily, the structure seemed to hold, and they proceeded through.

The gap separating the main area of the chamber and the entryway was going to be a problem. If it was just Link and Zelda, it wouldn't have posed any issue. However with the ox carrying their supplies and research materials, they needed to find a way to get it across. Zelda suggested working up a small rope bridge, using a complicated set of counterweights and tie downs. She whipped out her journal and began sketching design blueprints and writing down potential sources for the materials. Her thought process was very vocal, and she began to speak at a rapid fire pace.

While Zelda was distracted, Link took the slate from her hip. He looked around the room for a moment, and found a large stone slab resting off to the side. He walked over to it, pulled a sledgehammer from his enchanted pouch, and used stasis on the loose slab. He whacked the slab a few times, held up his thumb to gauge the direction of travel, poked it, and released the hold. The slab flew through the air, and Zelda finally noticed what Link was doing after almost being hit by the tons of stone flying directly in front of her.

Wham!

Link looks over to Zelda with a toothy grin and a thumbs up. It is not reciprocated.

After moving themselves and the ox across the gap, they began the same process from the day before. Zelda began to move through the room, and Link set up camp before joining her at her side. 

Again, this room had many different types or architecture and reliefs showing scenes from an age long past. However, what differed from the previous chamber was the pillars that led from the center of the room to a small wall separating them from whatever lay beyond it. The layout and design resembled the springs, however it was slightly larger and more intact. Zelda couldn’t help but frown. Would this expedition yield the same results as her visits to the springs? Would her prayers remain unanswered as she stood in a freezing pool of water staring up at the goddess’s smiling face? She turns around and faces her companion.

“What lies beyond the wall?”

Link points first to the arch that the pillars were leading to, and she could see the dull blue glow of a shrine. He then points above the wall and she takes in a large gasp of air. 

Barely peeking over the top of the wall and the shrine was the largest goddess statue she had ever seen. 

Her heartbeat begins to rise as she slowly walks through the arch and past the shrine. Link follows behind her with slight hesitation. He remembers the times Zelda spent in the springs to awaken her powers, remembering the tears and sorrow that time had wrought upon her. 

He has no hatred towards the goddess, but he could not forgive her for what she had done to Zelda. 

This woman, who all her life wanted nothing more than to follow her passions and help her people, had been tortured with a destiny she had no choice in. She did not want power, she did not want to be the person from the legends. She was just a girl. But it seems the goddess had other plans. Even when Zelda resigned herself to her fate and had put all her effort into appeasing destiny, the goddess remained quiet. Why couldn’t she have answered her, or even given her a hint on how to unlock her powers? Why make her suffer?

Link did not hate the goddess, but he did not love her either.

Which made the feeling of longing he felt whenever he viewed her statues frustrate him.

* * *

As the pair rested around the fire after dinner, Zelda began to ask Link questions about his travels. She often did this when she became frustrated with her research and switched to tinkering with the Sheikah slate.

It had only been about a month since the two had sealed the Calamity away, and after a week of sleeping in his home in Hateno they began to travel across Hyrule. They had no specific destination, no important task to complete. They first visited Purah at her lab atop the village, where Zelda and Purah spent a few days reviewing her condition and rekindling their friendship. She was a little taken aback at her youthful appearance, but was glad her friend had survived and thrived in this new world. Link had shown the two girls and Symin all the images he had collected during his journey, and Zelda would often find herself browsing the compendium not just for research, but for enjoyment as well. 

Between the images of flowers and insects, she would find pictures of him posing with a variety of travellers and interesting landmarks. After a long section on the different variants of guardians she found a photo of a sunset at a beach. She imagined him sitting in the sand, taking in the great beauty of Hyrule as he rested. 

While she was able to view some moments during his journey, it was hard to maintain her focus on fighting Ganon and monitor his progress. So during moments like this when she was browsing the slate and coming across particularly interesting photos, she would probe him for answers.

“What’s this photo here?”

Zelda holds up the slate for Link to see. He was sitting across from her, holding the Master Sword atop his legs. He moves around the fire and sits next to her, still holding the sword in his lap. The photo shows a small hut atop a large fungal stalk, highlighted by a blood red moon in the background. 

“That’s a blood moon.”

She rolls her eyes at him.

“I am acutely aware of that. What's that structure up there?”

“That is Kass’s home.”

“The Rito bard we met near the stable? Why is his home so far from Rito Village?”

Link shrugs.

“He would work on his songs up there.”

“Didn’t you say he had a family in Rito Village?”

He nods.

Zelda doesn’t comment on it further.

“Why did you take this photo?”

“I needed to stand bare on a pedestal and wait for a blood moon. I got bored and I took it.”

Zelda suddenly flushes and looks up at him.

“So you were…”

He nods. Zelda looks away quickly towards the photo.

“Did it… work? Whatever it was you were trying to accomplish, I mean.”

He nods again.

“A shrine rose from the ground when the moon reached its peak.”

Zelda tries to hide her face as much as possible and push indecent thoughts from her head. Maybe the Sheikah monks were perverts after all? She goes back to scrolling through the gallery as Link silently runs his fingers across the sheath of the sword. She finds another image.

Link is standing near the pond by his home in Hateno. Dangling from his outstretched arm is a large Hyrule Bass. She smiles as he leans over to look at the slate.

“You seem to be quite the fisherman!”

He smiles as well. 

“I guess so. When I first awoke, I didn’t know about fishing rods. Hudson gave me one when he caught me swimming after a salmon.”

Zelda imagines the scene in her mind; Link frantically chasing a red fish as a mustachioed construction worker watched from afar, flabbergasted. She lets out a small chuckle.

“I’d love to go myself. I’ve never had the opportunity. Will you show me sometime?”

“Of course!”

Her heart flutters at his eager response. 

Link stands up for a moment and walks over to the cookpot. He fills a bowl with the soup he had made earlier, and returns to his spot next to Zelda. He had never made the soup before, but he was excited with the results. Most of the ingredients he used were from their visit to Lurelin earlier that week. Salted fish and local herbs mixed together and boiled in lobster stock. He didn’t know why he used what he did, but for some reason he knew he was going to have a winner as soon as he started to prepare the dish.

Zelda was looking at the photo of the sunset at sea when he returned, and decided to ask him about it.

“What made you take this one?”

Link pauses his slurping. He looked at the image. He remembered the moment and his eyebrows knitted together.

“I… don’t really know. I was riding to show those photos of the guardians to a woman in the cave nearby. I had stopped to take care of some Lizalfos, and when I finished... the view was beautiful, but in the moment… it’s hard to explain. It was like it was calling to me, like I belonged out there, on the waves. I-”

His voice cut off in his throat. His hands are shaking. 

He could hear the sounds of waves crashing, gulls calling out, and then a gong ringing.

“Zelda-”

“Link! What’s wrong!”

He drops the bowl and clasps at the sword. 

He hears a scream far off in the distance. Wings flapping. It sounds like a little girl. Pure rage burns a fiery trail to his heart. He jumps to his feet, drawing the sword. 

Not her! Anybody but her!

“We must return to the world above! Back to our ocean!”

He spins quickly and faces her. 

Zelda is backing away slowly. Fear covers her face. She raises her arm to him and he looks at her hand. Light pours from her palm. She opens her mouth to speak.

“Link!”

Her voice hurts his head. It sounds like there are two of her shouting at him. 

Suddenly the world around him is surrounded by the sea, pouring in from the cracks on the walls and ceiling. Its salty smell fills his nose, and he tries to reach out to Zelda.

The rush of water is overwhelming, pressing against his body from all directions. The pressure sucks the air out of his lungs and he feels like drowning. 

So much water. 

He tries to gulp down air, but there is none to be had. 

His chest begins to burn. 

He tries to swim to the surface.

He breathes.

The sword flashes.

“Master. Please calm yourself.”

He passes out.

* * *

When Link’s eyes open, he finds himself staring at a very peculiar sight.

Zelda is sitting next to the fire, holding the Master Sword with the hilt held to her face. It looks almost comical, how close she is holding it to her face. 

He can see her lips moving, almost as if she is having a conversation with it. He tries to listen as best he can, but his ears are ringing and he has a splitting headache. He groans a bit trying to sit up.

“Link!”

She drops the sword and rushes to his side.

“I can’t hear you. My head hurts.”

She forces him back down, and he gets a feeling of deja vu. He can see her scowling at him as she opens a bottle of red elixir. 

She pushes the bottle to his lips. As he chokes down the potion, her lips move at a rapid pace. Her face is a mixture of worry and anger. Her eyebrows are pushed together, and her cheeks are flushed. He can see the tears welling up. Damn it.

His hearing slowly starts to return, and his headache wanes to a dull throb.

“-you before, don’t move! I was so worried, and you were so angry and scared, then you started to choke and I tried to help, tried to use my power to stop you but you weren’t responding and I just-”

She suddenly crashes down on top of him and throws his arms behind her. Link lays there shocked for a moment, feeling her breath through his tunic, before deciding he’s okay with this new development. He wraps one arm around to the small of her back. The other he uses to hold her head to his chest. He weaves his fingers into her hair. 

She starts to cry, and he feels her tears wetting his tunic.

“I’m sorry.” Link says simply.

She continues to try to speak through her sobs. Link begins to rub her back in slow circles, trying to calm her.

“I thought you were going to kill me. You looked so-”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you would never hurt me, but your eyes, they were so full of hate!”

“I’m sorry.”

“And then you started to thrash about, clutching at your throat, and I thought  _ you _ were going to die, and all I saw was you lying there on the ground again, and I-”

“I’m sorry.”

She lifts her head quickly and stares into his eyes.

“If you say ‘I’m Sorry’ one more time, I swear to the goddess hero, I will smack you.”

“I’m-”

Before he can stop himself, Link feels the sharp pain of her hand crashing onto his cheek. He shuts his eyes and winces before opening them again.

Tears roll down her face as she straddles him. Silhouetted by pale moonlight seeping through a hole in the roof, he looks up into her eyes. She pouts and turns her head away from him.

“It’s not your fault, you idiot!”

She looks back down as regret immediately starts to seep in. He definitely deserved it, but it's not like she wanted to hit him. She reaches down and brushes his cheek with the pads of her fingers.

“Whatever is happening to us, the memories, that’s what we are here to find out.”

She falls back onto his chest.

Link lays there for a moment, feeling the rise and fall of her chest against his own. Happening to us? Is this happening to her as well? He looks up at the ceiling.

“Zelda?”

“Mmm”

“Why were you holding the Master sword?”

She tilts her head up and rests her chin on his chest, her pouty face returning.

“Later.”

He raises an eyebrow, and she ignores him. She lays her head back down.

“Keep going.”

“What?”

“The thing, do the thing with your hands you were doing before.”

He doesn’t move, and she sighs before sitting back up and grabbing his hands and forcing one to her hair and the other to her back. She lies back down again.

“Continue, please.”

Oh, that thing.

Link runs his fingers through her hair and she lets out a sigh. He continues to rub her back as her slight hiccups stop and her breathing begins to slow. He begins to hum to her the lullaby she mentioned and she wriggles harder into him. He continues to hum until her breathing is long and even.

He falls asleep not long afterwards.


End file.
